Wolf management

Wolf experts have criticized the B.C. government’s controversial Wolf Management Plan (PDF) and previous wolf culls in B.C. and Alberta. These culls use inhumane methods and lack scientific justification. The BC SPCA opposes culls when there is a lack of credible scientific evidence and/or it can’t be achieved humanely.

“Killing from helicopters, even by the most skilled marksman, causes excessive stress during chase and there is no way to confirm death was quick and painless,” says Dr. Sara Dubois, the BC SPCA’s chief scientific officer. Dubois states that culling can fracture pack social structures and create an ecological imbalance for other species in the area.

Photo by John E. Marriott

Killing wolves to save caribou?

“There is little evidence that removing all wolves in the area will allow the caribou population to recover and stabilize,” says Dubois. “It’s just a hope – too little too late.”

Dr. Dubois co-authored a 2013 study in B.C. (PDF) that found a majority of wildlife professionals and the general public did not agree that killing one species to save another (even if endangered) was ethical. This strategy does not solve the problem when habitat is at risk. Without reducing habitat fragmentation and human disturbance, the damage may already be irreversible.